-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Big cities are rarely home to thriving farmlands , but a group of Dutch architects hope to change that with the `` Park Supermarket '' -- an urban farming project that will attempt to grow and sell all the food of a modern supermarket in one place .

The firm behind the proposal , Rotterdam-based Van Bergen Kolpa Architects , intends to produce everything from risotto rice , to kiwis to Tilapia fish all on one 4,000-acre plot of disused land in Randstad , Holland 's largest metropolitan area .

In defiance of the country 's moderate climate , the architects say they have devised a system to control the park 's outdoor environment , using old and new farming technologies to simulate Mediterranean and tropical climates in an ecologically sustainable way .

The land , which had been earmarked for a large block of business developments before the global recession , cuts across the city fringes of Rotterdam and The Hague , serving a potential customer-base of over one million people , according to Van Bergen Kolpa Architects .

`` The cities surrounding the proposed site are home to 170 different eating cultures -- from Moroccan to Indonesian , from Turkish to Chinese -- and we 're aiming to grow food to satisfy all their tastes , '' said Jago van Bergen , an award-winning architect and one of the brains behind the `` Park Supermarket '' -- which has been shortlisted for the upcoming World Architecture Awards in November .

`` The plan is to divide the park into three climate zones -- moderate , Mediterranean and tropical . Because this will also be a recreational space , our goal is to make it as open as possible , without using greenhouses , '' he said .

But how exactly do you create a warm outdoor microclimate on the urban fringes of a north European city ? According to van Bergen , it 's not as far-fetched or futuristic as it sounds .

`` The main differences between a Mediterranean and moderate climate are longer periods of light and warmth in the evening , '' he explained . `` To make up this difference we 'll use a combination of traditional and modern farming methods that all work by trapping and storing heat and releasing it when temperatures drop , ''

So , in an effort to grow typically Mediterranean foods like olives and peppers , for instance , van Bergen says he 'll need little more than rows of `` snake walls '' and `` climate pylons . ''

According to van Bergen , `` snake walls '' , made from clay , curve over crops helping to shield them from cold winds , while simultaneously emitting heat absorbed during the day .

`` They used this method in the 18th century gardens of eastern Germany 's Potsdam , so the king could grow grapes to make wine that tasted as good as the French stuff , '' he said .

`` Climate pylons '' are a more modern method of trapping heat . Van Bergen says they simply rain down a fine mist of water from high up , creating clouds that act like vapor roofs , stopping warm air from disappearing into the sky .

However , for tropical foods like mangoes and basmati rice , van Bergen says the park will need another layer of warmth .

`` In this case , we 'll pump geothermal energy -- heat stored deep in the lower soils -- up to the top using underground pipes filled with water , '' he explained .

`` This technology is used in football stadiums to stop the pitches freezing over and more recently it 's being used to heat homes . ''

Van Bergen concedes that the pumps and electric-powered lights that artificially extend daylight hours will require an additional input of energy , but claims that it will all be met by local renewable sources .

Read related : ` Living ' buildings could inhale city carbon emissions

The Park Supermarket was commissioned by planning officials from the South Holland Province , and plans are afoot for a small test site to be up and running by the end of this year .

If successful , the firm believes this type of system could form part of a new approach to sustainable farming , making use of urban greenbelts while helping to reduce the carbon footprint associated with food production -- which accounts for up to 30 % of total emissions worldwide , according to a 2008 Greenpeace report .

`` The dominant food-production system is based on fossil fuel at every level , '' said Dr Martin Caraher , professor of food and health policy at London 's City University . `` It needs oil to make the fertilizer , oil for the farm , oil for the food processing , oil for the packaging and oil to transport it to the shops , '' he added .

Van Bergen says the park will reduce carbon emissions by cutting down on food processing and transport costs , while stimulating local industry and social bonds .

`` Because all the food in our supermarket will be grown on site we wo n't need a big processing factory to make packaging and we wo n't have to burn lots of fossil fuel to transport it across the globe , '' he said .

However , the Park Supermarket concept does not appeal to everyone .

`` Anything that reduces food miles and other carbon emissions linked to food production is normally a positive thing , '' said Dr Nicola Canon , lecturer in crop sciences at the UK 's Royal Agricultural College . `` However , I have reservations about any system that creates open artificial climates .

`` We know that we are suffering from climate change , with one area enduring long wet spells while another goes through a prolonged drought . I wonder if we really ought to be exploring technologies that seek to control our already unpredictable weather cycles . ''

Canon is also concerned that the introduction of alien climates may also precipitate the introduction of alien pests .

`` Every time you raise humidity , you raise disease affectability -- because where you have good conditions for growth you also have good conditions for disease to grow . I think creating tropical climates next to moderate ones could introduce a host of new diseases and pests to the region in quite an unpredictable way , '' she warned .

Finally , while Canon says she appreciates what van Bergen and his team are trying to do , she doubts that the system could be replicated on a wider scale .

`` In my experience , it takes a lot of resources to create a relatively small microclimate . This means land that could otherwise be used for growing native crops is taken up with technology -- whether it be rows and rows of snake walls or climate pylons or whatever , '' she said .

For van Bergen , this type of criticism misses the point , because he sees the Park Supermarket as just one of many possible alternatives to the existing system of food production .

`` I 'm not a preacher of any one form of agriculture , '' he said . `` Just like our energy , I think our future food supplies will have to come from a variety of sources , using a variety of methods -- of which we are sure this will be one .

`` But this is about more than sustainable , non-intensive farming , it 's about cultivating community ties and giving new meaning to a space on the edge of the city that is currently being used for very little else . ''

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Concept designed to produce all food of a modern supermarket on one plot of land

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Dutch architects say they will use mix of technologies to create artificial growing climates

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Scheme designed to reduce food production and transportation emissions

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Crop scientist has doubts about creating artificial microclimates